Row spacing - how narrow?

Tue Jun 23, 2009 9:26 am

I want to set up my garden for Cub cultivation next year and was wondering about row spacing. I see 40 inches mentioned often and realize that was the standard years ago. Is anyone using narrower row spacing and cultivating with a Cub? I believe I've seen mention of 36 inch rows but has anyone gone any narrower? Thanks.

Re: Row spacing - how narrow?

Tue Jun 23, 2009 3:08 pm

My wheels are set at the narrowest point. I believe 42". I plant using that spacing so when I cultivate the spacing is the same and creates no problems. Plus with 42" middles, you won't be stomping down any vines that might lap over in the middles. Just my way of doing things.

Billy

Re: Row spacing - how narrow?

Wed Jun 24, 2009 7:53 am

I use 36" in the low vegetables And 40" in the corn field. Easy to cultivate either without changing the standards.

Re: Row spacing - how narrow?

Wed Jun 24, 2009 8:03 am

You can set your Cub up for 3 or 4 row cultivation. The 4 row vegetable cultivator may be hard to find. The 144 can be set up for 2 rows, but when plants spread you'll be hoeing.

Re: Row spacing - how narrow?

Wed Jun 24, 2009 8:44 am

Billy Fussell wrote:My wheels are set at the narrowest point. I believe 42". I plant using that spacing so when I cultivate the spacing is the same and creates no problems. Plus with 42" middles, you won't be stomping down any vines that might lap over in the middles. Just my way of doing things.

Billy

According to my Cub literature the narrowest wheel setting is 40" center to center for the rears and 40 5/8" center to center for the fronts. I'm not sure why you would have to use the same spacing for your rows though. Could you not have two rows underneath the tractor while cultivating and have your tractor tires skip every other row? BTW, I'm not thinking of vining plants, primarily corn, maybe potatoes also.

Re: Row spacing - how narrow?

Wed Jun 24, 2009 8:46 am

Virginia Mike wrote:You can set your Cub up for 3 or 4 row cultivation. The 4 row vegetable cultivator may be hard to find. The 144 can be set up for 2 rows, but when plants spread you'll be hoeing.

Mike,

What is the spacing with the two different cultivators?

Re: Row spacing - how narrow?

Wed Jun 24, 2009 9:13 am

The Cub 252 cultivator is for rows 12" to 24" apart. The 144 could be set up for 2 rows about 24" I think, I have not tried it. This would work for close growing plants; radish, onion, beets, etc..

Read page 6 in the Cub 474 vegetable planter manual on the manual server. It gives good insight on row spacing for vegetables.

Re: Row spacing - how narrow?

Wed Jun 24, 2009 9:57 am

For single row use go with 38" and for spuds, better have at least 48 or you wont have enough dirt to make the ridges! (I make at least 12" tall , 20 " wide ridges here and still have some spuds that dont stay in them)The cub cultivator is too much trouble to use,(put on and take off), and dont do a good job.---I dont want the sweep marks and the clods that it makes in the garden,(also all the compaction the tractors do) so I use the small tillers to cultivate with. Does nicer job, gets all the weeds, and makes my dust mulch to conserve moisture. The big tractors do the heavy ground work to start with then its tillers and HAND HOEING!!!!!!! thanks; sonny

Re: Row spacing - how narrow?

Wed Jun 24, 2009 10:20 am

I found the following in the Farmall Cub Tractor and Cub Implements pdf:

Of the cotton and corn cultivator it says:

With chis Cub culrivator you can work 36 to 56-inch rows.

Of the two-row beet and bean cultivator it says:

This machine cultivates sugar beets, beans and other crops planted in 12 to 28 inch rows.

Re: Row spacing - how narrow?

Wed Jun 24, 2009 10:29 am

Virginia Mike wrote:Read page 6 in the Cub 474 vegetable planter manual on the manual server. It gives good insight on row spacing for vegetables.

Mike,

I read the Cub-447 Vegetable Cultivator Manual (1949) on the manual server but it still isn't clear to me. Probably because it references some other pages and here's the rub. The individual pages do not load. I have to load the entire html manual and it is missing pages - including the ones referenced.

Re: Row spacing - how narrow?

Wed Jun 24, 2009 10:31 am

SONNY wrote:For single row use go with 38" and for spuds, better have at least 48 or you wont have enough dirt to make the ridges! (I make at least 12" tall , 20 " wide ridges here and still have some spuds that dont stay in them)The cub cultivator is too much trouble to use,(put on and take off), and dont do a good job.---I dont want the sweep marks and the clods that it makes in the garden,(also all the compaction the tractors do) so I use the small tillers to cultivate with. Does nicer job, gets all the weeds, and makes my dust mulch to conserve moisture. The big tractors do the heavy ground work to start with then its tillers and HAND HOEING!!!!!!! thanks; sonny

Sonny,

I understand that potatoes need wider rows - no problem. I really want to use the cultivators for corn and if I have any amount at all a tiller is a pain. I don't care about sweep marks since this isn't the primary garden but more of a truck patch. Dust mulch just doesn't work around here - too moist.

Re: Row spacing - how narrow?

Wed Jun 24, 2009 2:20 pm

You probaly won't be able to find a 252 cultivator . You can link your front tool holders together like this "Potato Plow" that sold on eBay to till between a 2 row setup.

Re: Row spacing - how narrow?

Wed Jun 24, 2009 10:03 pm

You could make that sweep link and re-arrange the existing ones for narrow 2-row use, if you dont care about what kind of job it does,---THEN you could set cub tires w-i-d-e and straddle both rows,---make them as narrow as you want to fit your needs---I could see that working with some creative try-it-and-see type work. thanks; sonny

Re: Row spacing - how narrow?

Mon Jun 29, 2009 8:21 pm

If you are gonna keep the narrowest wheel setting, you are just gonna get 1 good row. They will be 40" apart. To get 2 rows set the wheels at 48" your rows will be 24" apart. If you set the wheels at 56" you can get 3 rows. They will be 14" apart. Now depends on how you want to cultivate and what your gonna cultivate with. Depending on how well your tractor goes where you want it to, the narrower the rows the narrower the cultivator. If you go with anything wide in that moist soil, you're gonna drag it to the end of the row. With 12"& 14"rows it would be a little difficult to even use hillers. Would just about have to use shovels or spring tooth cults. If you were gonna even try to use sweeps, the 10" that are recommended on the rear will just tear it up. If I had to go closer I would go 24" then you can run your sweeps down the middle of them.

I like the potato plow myself. Would like to try that.

Re: Row spacing - how narrow?

Thu Jul 09, 2009 12:25 pm

Next year put your cultivator on where you want it and cultivate the field just before you plant. Overlap each pass and then plant in the center where your cultivator did not move earth. Then you don't have to plant your rows and try to make the cultivator work--it is already set. If that seems to be a good spacing then your cultivator is set up for year after year. You can measure how far apart the rows happen to be for next year.

I'd leave the middle 2 cultivator shovels (front tool bar) at least 14-16 inches apart. I found that 9 inches is too narrow for me to then cultivate a crop. If too narrow you may not hit the plants, but any larger clods can bury or damage small seedlings. You could also get the plant guards/shields if you want to put them narrower.

Personally, I have a hard enough time cultivating 1 row so I don't think I would have any crop left if I was trying to do several rows at a time. I like looking down at the row beneath me and trying to keep her straight. For 1 row cultivating the front tool bar cultivates around the row itself and the rear tool bar works up soil behind the rear tires, so the rows on either side have to be wider than your rear tires.